The Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) have new leadership following this week’s annual conference in Sunriver, Oregon.
Utah Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant and Virgin Islands Court Administrator Regina deChabert Petersen will serve as presidents of CCJ and COSCA, respectively. They will also lead the NCSC Board of Directors for one-year terms.
Durrant and Petersen succeed DC Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and South Dakota Court Administrator Greg Sattizahn as presidents of the national court organizations.
Durrant was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in 2000 and began his tenure as chief justice in 2012. His leadership on the bench includes service on the Utah Judicial Council and several Supreme Court committees responsible for judicial conduct, technology, and professionalism.
Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, Durrant sat as a trial judge in the Third Judicial District and practiced with the Salt Lake City law firm now known as Parr, Brown, Gee, & Loveless. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he also clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Monroe G. McKay, 10th Circuit.
Petersen was appointed administrator of courts for the Virgin Islands Judiciary in 2016. Previously, she served as the administrative director of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands and spent nine years as a director of the Virgin Islands Department of Justice’s Paternity and Child Support Division. Petersen earned an undergraduate degree from DePauw University and a juris doctor from Notre Dame Law School.
Also during the CCJ/COSCA annual conference, the Nebraska State Bar Foundation received the 2024 Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education on Wednesday. Given by NCSC to honor the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the award recognizes an organization, court, program, or individual who has promoted, inspired, improved, or led an innovation or
accomplishment in the field of civics education related to the justice system.
The bar foundation and executive director Doris Huffman were honored for their longstanding commitment to promoting civics education through activities including a high school mock trial program and Bench Media Committee designed to increase public awareness of the legal system through open dialogue with the news media. The Nebraska State Bar Foundation also developed a juror orientation video to assist the public in understanding courtroom procedures and responsibilities during jury service.
In addition, Minnesota State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba was honored with the Mary C. McQueen Award for Excellence and Leadership in Justice System Improvement during this week’s CCJ/COSCA annual conference.
Presented by CCJ, COSCA, the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO), and National Association for Court Management (NACM), the award honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to improving the administration of justice at the local, state and/or national level for a sustained period of time.
A past COSCA president, Shorba has served the Minnesota courts for more than two decades. As the deputy state court administrator in 2002, he oversaw the implementation of the first statewide party-based case management system and worked to standardize business practices and increase centralized services. Shorba also led efforts to develop the state’s nationally recognized Conservator Auditing Program, which is one of many innovative efforts that have become national models.
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